New Fremantle coach Ross Lyon believes there are weaknesses in the
Dockers’ AFL line-up he needs to address if they are to become a
legitimate top-four contender, saying he hasn’t inherited “Nirvana”.
Lyon
rated skipper Matthew Pavlich, ruckman Aaron Sandilands, defender Luke
McPharlin and midfielder David Mundy as top-end players, but said the
rest of the list needed to improve if Fremantle are to challenge for
premierships down the track.
“There’s a lot of maturity, but there’s some holes as well,” Lyon told the Fremantle website.
“I don’t think I’ve inherited Nirvana.
“I
really rate (Hayden) Ballantyne highly and there’s some emerging class
through the midfield with (Nat) Fyfe, (Stephen) Hill, Mundy and
(Anthony) Morabito, and there’s a few that have made some inroads.
“Guys
like (Alex) Silvagni, (Dylan) Roberton and (Nick) Suban … have shown
glimpses, but they really need to be stepping up from where they are at.
“”I
think it’s a good list (and) with a good run at it and a strong game
plan, and with everyone working hard we can really challenge
consistently against the best teams.
“However, I think we’ve got to prove that we can get over the top of the best teams. We’ve got to create a top-four opportunity.
“Until we can do that it’s incredibly hard to win a premiership.”
Lyon
said he had been hurt by the criticism directed his way following his
controversial move to Fremantle, who sacked Mark Harvey despite the
popular coach having a year to run on his contract.
“Obviously (my) integrity has been raised at this point, which for me is disappointing and at some level hurts,” Lyon said.
“But fundamentally, for my family and friends and players I’ve coached, I like honestly. I like consistency in relationships.
“I
certainly don’t associate with people who just go up and down depending
on who they’re with. I really mix with people who, fundamentally, you
can trust.”
